Mom Gets Question As Baby Diagnosed With Down Syndrome—Has Instant Response - Newsweek

A young mom-to-be didn't know what to expect when she learned her son would be born with Down syndrome, but now she's showing the world.

Paige Crowder, 27 and from Indiana, is mom to baby Levi, who was born in January 2025.

Levi was born with Down syndrome, and since learning of his diagnosis during her pregnancy, Crowder has been dedicated to raising awareness and educating people about what life is like raising a little boy with Down syndrome.

"Getting Levi’s diagnosis during pregnancy was something that completely changed the way I viewed Down syndrome," Crowder told Newsweek.

"Like many people, I had misconceptions about what life with Down syndrome would look like, and so much of what I thought I knew was based on assumptions rather than actually knowing someone with Down syndrome."

As she put it: "Being Levi’s mom has changed my perspective in ways I never could have anticipated."

Down syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic condition that happens when a person is born with an extra copy of chromosome 21. It causes distinct physical features, learning challenges and behavioral differences.

An estimated 5,700 children are born with Down syndrome in the United States each year, and may need lifelong care and have a higher risk of certain health conditions, according to the Cleveland Clinic. However, with improved support, many go on to live active lives well into adulthood.

In Crowder's case, she says her son is "so much more than a diagnosis."

"He is funny, affectionate, determined, incredibly happy, and completely his own person," she said.

In one video shared to her Instagram account @paigevictoriacrowder, which she uses to raise awareness of the condition, Crowder recalls the moment she was told that her unborn child would be born with Down syndrome.

She was asked: "What would you like to do?"

To which she responded: "I'd like to be his mom."

The video then shows life with the now-toddler Levi, making him smile, laugh and clap, going on vacations, doing family photo shoots, and showering him with love.

Crowder told Newsweek that she uses her platform to help people to see Levi "as a child first," to see "his personality, his relationships, his milestones, and all of the ordinary and extraordinary parts of his life.

"I don't want people to simply learn about Down syndrome; I want them to actually see what life can look like."

Another reason, she says, is that she remembers how she felt when she received Levi's diagnosis, and she wants to "reach the mom I once was."

"I remember what it felt like to hear the words 'Down syndrome' and not know what that meant for my baby or for our future. I remember being afraid of a life I couldn't picture yet," she said.

"If another mother receives a Down syndrome diagnosis and finds our family, I want her to be able to look at Levi and think, 'Maybe my baby’s life can be beautiful, too.'

"I want her to see the child behind the diagnosis before fear has a chance to fill in all the blanks for her."

Down syndrome is a lifelong condition, but treatments are available to help the child reach their full potential, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

This includes physical and speech therapy, early intervention and special education, eyeglasses or hearing aids, and management of other health conditions, such as heart conditions, which affect around half of all people born with Down syndrome.

For her family, Crowder says, day-to-day life is "a lot like any other family with a toddler."

"There are milestones, routines, messes, cuddles, appointments, laughs, and plenty of chaos. Levi has his own additional needs, but those needs don't define our family or the way we experience him," she said.